Always Assisting: Mesut Ozil To Pay For Surgeries Of 23 Brazilian Kids Following World Cup Win

Before the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Mesut Ozil had pledged to pay for the surgeries of 11 Brazilian kids, but Germany’s World Cup win seems to have changed his mind.

Ozil has now announced that he will sponsor the surgeries of 23 children — one for every member of the German squad — to show his thanks for the host nation’s hospitality throughout the tournament.

The day after arriving back in Berlin with the World Cup trophy, Ozil declared his intentions via his Facebook page. He wrote:

Dear fans,
Prior to the #WorldCupI supported the surgery of eleven sick children. Since the victory of the #WorldCup is not only due to eleven players but to our whole team, I will now raise the number to 23. This is my personal thank-you for the hospitality of the people of Brazil.